CCPR/C/130/D/2661/2015 United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Distr.: General 10 June 2021 Original: English Human Rights Committee Views adopted by the Committee under article 5 (4) of the Optional Protocol, concerning communication No. 2661/2015*, ** Communication submitted by: Polat Bekzhan, Leon Weaver Jr. and Helmut Echtle (represented by counsel, Shane H. Brady and Haykaz Zoryan) Alleged victims: The authors State party: Kazakhstan Date of communication: 27 March 2015 (initial submission) Document references: Decision taken pursuant to rule 92 of the Committee’s rules of procedure, transmitted to the State party on 30 October 2015 (not issued in document form) Date of adoption of Views: 30 October 2020 Subject matter: Refusal to allow importation of religious publications Procedural issues: Exhaustion of domestic remedies; victim status; actio popularis Substantive issues: Freedom of thought, conscience and religion; freedom of expression; protection of minorities Articles of the Covenant: 18 (1) and (3), 19 (2) and (3) and 27 Articles of the Optional Protocol: 1, 2, 3 and 5 (2) (b) 1. The authors of the communication are Polat Bekzhan, a national of Kazakhstan born in 1953, Leon Weaver Jr., a national of the United States of America born in 1938, and Helmut Echtle, a national of Germany born in 1938. They claim that the State party has violated their rights under articles 18 (1) and (3), 19 (2) and (3) and 27 of the Covenant. They further claim that they are bringing the communication on behalf of all 17,500 Jehovah’s * Adopted by the Committee at its 130th session (12 October–6 November 2020). ** The following members of the Committee participated in the examination of the communication: Yadh Ben Achour, Arif Bulkan, Ahmed Amin Fathalla, Furuya Shuichi, Christof Heyns, Duncan Laki Muhumuza, Photini Pazartzis, Hernán Quezada Cabrera, Vasilka Sancin, José Manuel Santos Pais, Yuval Shany, Hélène Tigroudja and Gentian Zyberi. Pursuant to rule 108 of the Committee’s rules of procedure, David H. Moore and Andreas Zimmermann did not participate in the examination of the communication. GE.21-07670(E)